The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 80th birthday last year so it was wonderful to see a busy Perth Concert Hall welcome them and their recently appointed Chief Conductor Riccardo Frizza at the most northerly leg of their short UK tour. The programme included exuberant music from Hungarians Kodály and Liszt, but also Beethoven’s favourite symphony and romantic Rachmaninov with an astonishing performance from pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason.
Zoltán Kodály was a collector of indigenous folk music of Eastern Europe, his childhood upbringing in the market town of Galánta providing a rich source of material for his Dances of Galánta commissioned by the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate its own 80th birthday. The series of interlinked slow and fast dances was an exciting showpiece peppered with passionate solos from lively clarinet, chirruping flute and particularly the characterful oboe as the strings built tension, the work boiling over into boisterously joyful high spirits. Frizza brought out the contrasts splendidly, urging his players on through crisp syncopation, impish horns adding bite. It’s a piece ending with the dangerous feel of heading downhill with no brakes, the strings sounding like a driving wind, but Frizza had his forces on a tight leash in an exhilarating finale.
Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz no. 1 represents poet Nikolaus Lenau’s tale of Mephistopheles distracting drinkers in a tavern with wild violin playing while Faust pursues a dark-eyed girl, the lovers eloping into the nearby forest. The violins put heart and soul into the vivid introduction, open 5th tuning turning ominously turbulent. Luminous cellos and detailed woodwind characterised the slower central section, the music turning chirpy as a forest nightingale briefly emerged before Mephistopheles had the final devilish flourish.
Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor is dedicated to his therapist Dr Nikolai Dahl marking the composer’s recovery of confidence after the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony. Kanneh-Mason approached the work with a striking stage presence and elegance of touch, the rippling opening deliciously fluid, rolling along, Frizza always attentive to the soloist’s articulations. The big themes developed into a well-balanced sound with shimmering strings and detailed woodwinds providing contrast. The famous slow movement with its haunting clarinet solo was gorgeously lush, Kanneh-Mason’s piano flowing expansively in a well-measured performance, her deft lightness making the piano sing. The players cooked up a punchy storm in the final movement, Kanneh-Mason sparkling with detail and excitingly bold heft breaking through the orchestral texture in a thrilling finish.
Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony was a wonderful showcase for the orchestra, the opening crystal clear in definition. It was fascinating to watch the body language as everyone from front to back desks completely inhabited the music, leaning in closely to the phrasing with total commitment. Frizza’s conducting was economical but packed with nuance and detail, sometimes just using his fingertips in the quieter passages, his baton at the ready as the pace picked up. Organic contrasts continued in the funeral march, with grumbling double basses and bright woodwinds, Frizza leaning right over his first violins for the slow tune. The Scherzo went at a lick, the players full of suppressed energy, burnished horns entering with an enjoyable, slightly rasping edge. A bold finale with perfectly judged pizzicatos, passionate violas and impetuous violins built to a vigorous climax. I caught Frizza’s mid-movement beaming grin as conductor and players were clearly enjoying every bar, the infectious enthusiasm spilling over into the delighted audience.
